Abstract
Achillea millefolium L. sensu lato (yarrow) is the best-known species of the genus Achillea due to numerous medicinal applications both in folk and conventional medicine. Phenolic compounds such as flavonoids and phenol carbonic acids are present in yarrow and constitute one of the most important groups of pharmacologically active substances. In the present study, yarrow flowers gathered from native populations in different locations of Lithuania were analyzed for phenolic compound composition. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used for chemical analyses. Eight phenolic compounds--chlorogenic acid and flavonoids, namely vicenin-2, luteolin-3',7-di-O-glucoside, luteolin-7-O-glucoside, rutin, apigenin-7-O-glucoside, luteolin, and apigenin--were identified in the extracts from yarrow flowers. Considerable variation in accumulation of phenolic compounds among the flowers from different locations was observed. The samples were divided into two main groups based on chemical composition: the first group was characterized by lower than the mean total amount of the identified phenolics; the second was formed from samples accumulating higher concentrations of investigated secondary metabolites. The total amount of the identified phenolics in yarrow flowers from different populations varied from 13.290 to 27.947 mg/g.
Highlights
There are about 100 species of the genus Achillea L. (Asteraceae) widely spread over the Northern hemisphere [1]
Recent investigations concerning the inhibition of the serine protease human neutrophil elastase (HNE) and the matrix metalloproteinases MMP-2 and -9 by dicaffeoylquinic acids and the flavonoid fractions demonstrated that these fractions, at least partially, might contribute to the antiphlogistic activity of yarrow [7]
A. millefolium s.l. raw material is used in the preparation of a wide range of application forms, which include tinctures, liquid extracts, industrial tea mixtures as well as some multicomponent phytomedicines [2, 5, 18]
Summary
There are about 100 species of the genus Achillea L. (Asteraceae) widely spread over the Northern hemisphere [1]. (Asteraceae) widely spread over the Northern hemisphere [1] The plants of this genus have been used as healing agents due to their numerous medicinal properties by many cultures for hundreds of years [1, 2]. Additional scientific research is still required to clarify its phytochemicals and their potential healing qualities, as well as to expand the knowledge on its use and safety [4]. The phenolic compounds such as flavonoids and phenol carbonic acids are considered as one of the most important groups of pharmacologically active compounds present in Achillea species. Two flavonoids casticin [11] and centaureidin [12], respectively, derived from A. millefolium and A. clavennae L., were
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